LOOKING AHEAD: Providence plays host to Lowell on Friday night looking to extend an impressive streak… The Lock Monsters took a 5-4 decision from the Bruins in a shootout on Oct. 16, but the B’s have still earned a standings point in 21 straight meetings with Lowell, including 15 wins, since the start of the 2002-03 season… Brad Boyes leads the Bruins with six points (1g, 5a) through three games this season, chipping in on more than half of the team’s 11 goals… With Eric Staal and Colin Forbes leading the offense with five points apiece, the Lock Monsters have jumped out to a 3-0-0-0 start… Cam Ward, a first-round pick by Carolina in the 2002 draft, has won his first two pro starts for Lowell after earning Canadian Major Junior Goaltender of the Year honors last season with Red Deer.

Philadelphia pays a visit to Hershey on Saturday night for the 95th regular season meeting all-time between the intrastate rivals… The Phantoms’ 12-game sweep of last year’s series propelled them to the East Division title, while keeping the Bears out of the postseason for the first time since 1993… Both teams enter the weekend in search of their first win of the 2004-05 season… Philadelphia has returned six of its top seven scorers from a year ago, while adding 2002 first-rounder Joni Pitkanen to the blue line… Hershey’s new faces include former Calder Cup champions Mathieu Darche, Darrel Scoville and Andre Savage.

Manchester and Utah close out a two-game series on Saturday night at the Staples Center, home of the Monarchs’ parent team, the Los Angeles Kings… Manchester has seven players averaging better than a point per game during its 3-0-0-0 start, including Mike Cammalleri, Yanick Lehoux and SoCal native Noah Clarke… Jon Sim, who played parts of the last two seasons with the Kings, has a pair of goals on the year for the Grizzlies… The AHL played six games in L.A. during the 1965-66 season as part of an interlocking schedule with the old Western Hockey League… The last of those games came on Mar. 25, 1966, a 3-2 win by the Los Angeles Blades over the Buffalo Bisons at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena.

BY THE NUMBERS:4 – Games remaining at Winnipeg Arena before the Manitoba Moose move into their new downtown digs, the MTS Centre, on Nov. 17… The Moose open their 2004-05 home schedule with a pair of games against Edmonton this weekend.